Kissing Contest
by brezoflower
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura are both unwillingly thrust into the largest televised kissing contest in the city! Hope someone brought the breath mints...[SasuSaku]
1. You Entered Me In What?

-1AN: Come on, you _know _you want to find out what would happen…enjoy! This is sort of my little apology for taking "A Simple Wish" off of my stories list. Looking back at it, it was simply just bad writing. I was basically rewriting a story that I had made years ago when my writing sucked, and if you had _seen _the next chapter…I cringed. It was really that bad. No use of adjectives at all, completely lame actions, just…bad. I hope you like this one!

Disclaimer: No Naruto for me. Kishimoto is such a lucky guy. If only I had his imagination…

Kissing Contest

Prologue: The News

"You're _kidding_."

"No, I'm not!" Yamanaka Ino cried gleefully as she brandished the clipped newspaper ad at her best friend. "It's a citywide contest, meant for anyone ages eighteen to twenty-four. It's based on seven categories, which are technique, creativity--"

"It's a kissing contest." Haruno Sakura stared blankly at the black and white letters, setting her coffee mug back down on the table as she refrained from sighing deeply. If the world hadn't sunk to new lows already, this was the topper on a mountain of lame ideas. "What sick, twisted moron came up with a contest like this? And what completely idiotic person would enter?"

"Well, you see, that's the part I was getting to…" Ino nervously set down the paper and wrung her hands while simultaneously avoiding Sakura's gaze. "I entered with Shikamaru. Of course he struggled fabulously, but I have ways of persuading him." She grinned, but it immediately faded as Sakura waited for her to continue. "And you know…how I always say that you…"

"Never date anyone, and probably won't ever find a decent guy on the face of this planet," Sakura finished impatiently. She had heard the speech often enough to have it memorized. Not that she had taken any of it to heart. "Yeah. I've heard all that before. What are you getting at?"

The blood suddenly drained from her face as she realized. "Oh, Ino, you _didn't…_"

Ino grinned sheepishly.

"Now don't look so shocked, it's a very big event!" she quickly defended, raising her hands as though she could push back the impeding doom that was washing over her. "It's even televised, and a clip of it will appear on the news! It pays a lot if you win!"

The coffee mug and most of the other objects on the rounded dining room table toppled over, the hazelnut vanilla coffee meant to prevent Sakura from turning into a morning monster soaking into the tablecloth. Apparently, after what her best friend, possibly now an _ex_-best friend had told her, no amount of coffee would soften this reaction.

"_You entered me in a freaking kissing contest!"_

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Uchiha Sasuke sat back lazily in his chair, sipping his vanilla hazelnut coffee and staring out the window, detached from his surroundings. It was far too early to be back in his office, but work had demanded it, and his boss always deemed Sasuke to be the right man for nearly every job. Never mind the fact that Sasuke was only twenty, and that there were plenty of older, much more experienced employees who could perform the exact same tasks perfectly. No; Sasuke was always called into his boss's office every few days with a new project, sometimes even from home.

Maybe it was because his boss happened to be a female with perfect 20-20 vision and a knack for discovering very attractive men.

He rested his elbow on his desk, allowing his face to fall into his hand. He wasn't stupid; he was well aware that conniving Temari was scoping him out behind his back. It was a reaction he was used to from most females. But he would have to have a word with _her _supervisor if this continued. He had far more work than anyone else in his department, and though he did his job flawlessly Temari still refused to promote him. Sasuke supposed that she liked the idea of keeping him around just a little too much. She had even told him not to call her by her last name; just Temari would do. Her confident little winks were starting to get on his nerves.

"Uchiha-san, Temari-san would like to speak with you," a voice came from his telephone. He sighed gruffly, smoothing out his suit as he stood up. Not again. She had already called him at four o'clock in the freaking morning just to get him to work early. What more did she want?

"I'll be right there," Sasuke replied as he set the phone back on his desk. Being the most favored guy in his department did have its perks sometimes. For example, he was the only one who, after request, was allowed to have a cordless phone in his office as opposed to the standard navy blue one. Still, not even that was worth enduring the covetous looks his boss kept shooting him.

Temari looked up from her computer as her object of adoration came through the door without knocking.

"Uchiha-kun!" she greeted, picking up a stack of papers on her desk and clunking the edges on the wood to straighten them. "I have a job for you."

"Of course." Sasuke didn't say this in a disrespectful way, but it took considerable effort to keep from doing so.

"There is a contest coming up in Konoha, and our company could really use the publicity," Temari explained, but there was a certain glint in her eyes that Sasuke didn't like. "Now, it would be easier just to promote the contest and advertise on the televised portions, but imagine the amount of attention we would get if one of our own employees were to _win _the contest."

Sasuke nodded. This wasn't the first time she had sent an employee to try out for something or other to gain publicity. He just hoped he wasn't too involved in whatever it was this time.

"Understandable."

"I knew you'd see it that way," Temari said with a grin. "So this year I'm sending you. It's their first annual contest, so we should strike while it's hot."

"Wait, you want me to enter?" he asked rather unintelligently. She beamed at him.

"Of course! What did you think I'd called you in for?" _More mindless projects on promoting the contest, maybe. _"Anyways, the contest starts up in a week, so that'll give you plenty of time to prepare. Unfortunately, I can't enter myself, as I have so much work to do…" On anyone else this would have seemed like a blatant lie, but from the way her nose crinkled as she surveyed the forms on her desk, Sasuke knew she was being truthful.

"So you'll go to this one. A week should be enough for you to find a partner. Then, you fill out these forms--" she shoved a paper clipped gathering of work that was thankfully a lot smaller than the rest of the stacks on her desk, "--and report back to me."

"Fine." Sasuke decided that this was not the best time to ask questions, as Temari looked much too excited. A partner? Something was off. Taking the papers from her while being very careful not to touch her hand, he read the heading on the business letter. It seemed that they had actually been invited to promote the contest. It had surely been Temari's original idea to send someone to _participate_, though.

_Konoha's First Annual Kissing Contest_

_Brought to you by Sunakagure, Inc. _

Sasuke stormed out the door before his enraged voice could give him away. He was definitely speaking to her supervisor.

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"And you've already filled out the paperwork?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Yep! Sorry, I kinda borrowed your social security card for that…" Ino, so far, was looking pretty unabashed about the whole thing.

"And you're positive that I have to show up."

"Of course! It was basically a contract you signed, agreeing to participate in the event. There's a spot at a table already waiting for you."

"You mean the contract that _you _signed. You forged my signature!" Sakura exclaimed in a furiously accusing voice.

"Only a little bit!"

"There is no 'little bit' about it, Ino! You either did or you didn't!"

"Sakuraaa, calm down," Ino said, finally just rolling her eyes and settling into her chair. "It's already done with. No use squabbling over the past. Besides, you _have to find _a guy."

"I do not," Sakura seethed. "Just because you happen to be already married doesn't mean I should be."

"You're going to die a saggy old maid."

"See if I care."

"Please, Sakura, just be reasonable!" Ino finally pleaded. "If you do this for me, I'll bring you coffee every single morning. Hazelnut and vanilla, just the way you like it."

Sakura sighed loudly, her hair fluttering with the movement. No matter how much she stormed, nothing would get her out of this. She could kill Ino, but somehow she figured that would not make it any easier for her to find a job. Being unemployed sucked.

"It better be every morning," she muttered, then was immediately tempted to slap the ecstatic expression right off of Ino's face before it got contagious.

"All righty then! Now, if we're going to do this, we'll have to find you a partner. I know that if you don't have one, they can just randomly assign you one, but that would completely defeat the purpose of finding you man-candy if he turns out to be horrible." She ignored Sakura's snort of "Man-candy?" as she unzipped her purse.

"I fortunately came with most of my beauty products, and we're going to need a full week if I'm going to transform you."

"Thanks a lot, Ino," Sakura grumbled, trying not to look at the small killer objects Ino was pulling one by one out of her bag. She winced at the thought that soon every bit of the arsenal of beauty products would be unleashed on her. What exactly was it that she could look forward to? Oh, that's right, _nothing._

"Ino, when this is over, you'll be bringing me so much more than coffee," Sakura threatened. "And we'll start by you bringing me your own head on a platter."

Ino grimaced at the mental image. "Just hold still. We'll begin with skin care today, and that'll go on for the next three days. Your skin is a bit oily, and that makes your forehead look impossibly large when it's so shiny…"

"Why am I friends with you again?"

Ino grinned. "Because you love me."

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After going home and repeatedly beating his punching bag until it nearly fell off of its hook, Sasuke collapsed into his sofa, allowing his weight to sink into the comfy fabric. This was so unfair. Call him a sulky teenager, but he had every right to be after the supervisor more or less told him that there was nothing he could do.

"Sorry, Uchiha-san," the supervisor had said as he looked down at the younger man apologetically. "Temari's already filled out the basic paperwork. Granted, she does need your signature on those files, but technically she can make you sign. Other employees do the same thing every day without question. Your case is nothing special, kid."

_But it's a fucking kissing contest. _Sasuke rolled over and stretched out horizontally over the cushions. _I'll bet that's a hell of a difference. Let's see those other employees do something like this "without question." They aren't told to make out with some random person on demand. _Sasuke ran a hand through his ebony hair as he pondered the thought. The truth is, many of the other employees--the single ones, that is--would in fact do this without complaint. He would never understand any of them.

His smoldering anger reduced to hot ash as he gave himself another hour to cool off. The contest only lasted for a month. It would be a typical game show setting, where the partners would stay in the same paid hotel rooms, but only if they made it past the first round. Sasuke had to snort at that detail. He was an Uchiha. Uchiha's never failed--not even at something as trivial as a kissing contest. He may not win; he may actually just lose on purpose. But he was getting past that first round, if only to prove to himself that this was just another thing he excelled at. Sometimes his pride was just too demanding.

_So I have to find a partner, _Sasuke thought. _Who could I possibly drag into this with me? _Kami-sama known he didn't want anyone he already knew to suffer through the trauma. So his partner would have to be a complete stranger? _I still cannot believe this is truly happening. _Well, better for it to be a stranger that he could walk away from the minute it was done than for it to be someone he knew. Talk about strings attached; emotionally traumatizing someone else was not high on his to-do list.

The phone rang, and he waited four rings before getting up off the couch to answer it.

"Hello?" he said gruffly.

"Hi, this is Yamanaka Ino," a voice so cheerful it almost sounded false chirped at him. "Your boss contacted me regarding the contest in Konoha."

Sasuke regretted not putting his punching bag in his living room. Will this contest follow him around forever?

"…Yeah."

"I understand you need a partner for this, don't you?"

Sasuke glared. His boss had _recommended _him to someone? He was going to kill her. He imagined Temari's face on the top of his punching bag, and vowed to practice his punches the minute he got off the phone.

"Sorry. I'm not interested in the bubbly type," he replied before moving to set the phone down. Ino's high-pitched voice screamed, "Wait!" before it touched the receiver.

"Hang on a minute! The person entering the contest isn't _me_!" she shrieked. He winced. Who cared?

"Not interested," he said again.

"Her name's Sakura, and she absolutely hates this contest, but I forced her into it!" she said in one breath before Sasuke could even think about hanging up again.

His finger paused just above the receiver to cut off the call. This Sakura hated it, too? The last thing he needed was to be paired with some woman who could not be more excited about kissing a complete stranger. Sasuke realized that this was an opportunity he really didn't have the option of passing up. He would most likely never find another girl who would only want to survive this death trap and get the hell away from him ASAP. There was really no way he could say no.

"Is she…normal?" _Does she have warts?_

"Oh, she's very pretty!" Ino gushed. "Well, she does have a rather large forehead, but of course you can overlook that."

He heard an annoyed voice in the background said suspiciously, "Who are you talking to, Ino?" before Ino said, "Okay, I have to go. Should I have her call you later?"

"No," Sasuke responded. "Just get my address from Temari and bring her by the day before the contest." Not bothering to say goodbye, he hung up.

He would be willing to bet everything he owned that this girl Sakura had no idea what Ino had just done. A small chuckle escaped his lips. Large forehead, huh? He would be completely paranoid for the next six days. Trying not to imagine a woman with an alien-like, deformed forehead, he strode over to his garage, spotted his punching bag, and grinned as the image of Temari slid easily back into his mind.

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"Sakura! I found you a partner!"

A week later, Sakura had been plucked, blow-dried, and foiled to within an inch of her life. She fidgeted with the hem of her red and white striped tank top, which of course Ino had picked out for her. That combined with a fluttery white skirt was supposed to look cute. In Sakura's opinion, it made her look twelve.

"All right, Sakura, I'll be back to pick you up in a half hour," Ino said from behind her as she shut the door of her blue convertible. Ino always did have flashy taste in cars. "Just keep him talking, okay? According to this Temari person, he's quite a hunk." With a final honk of her horn, Ino drove off.

Sakura stared determinedly at the closed door of the Uchiha estate, her foot tapping on the doormat. It was a rather large, expensive house, as though he had inherited it rather than bought it himself. At only twenty, this man could not possibly afford to live here without the backup of some family finances.

She studied the door's intricate patterns. It was a solid, perfect white, but had antique carvings that looked hand-made. The doorknob, solid brass, intimidated her for some reason.

_Oh, Sakura, stop it, _she scolded herself as she realized that her door-watching was meant to be a distraction from the matter at hand. _Just knock on the door, and smile when he answers. No big deal. _Her hands clasped and unclasped, and she glanced back down at her outfit. She felt awkward, but Ino had done a good job. She had subtly mixed Sakura's tastes with her own, so nothing was too tight, too indecent, or too flashy. She looked good. This helped her self-esteem somewhat, yet she still could not bring herself to knock on the door.

She jumped as the door suddenly opened, and a man with dark hair and matching eyes stared back at her. A dark blue button up shirt hung loosely on his muscular frame, accompanied by comfortable jeans and no shoes, only wool socks. Curious.

"Haruno Sakura?" he asked, faintly amused. "Were you ever planning to ring the doorbell?"

Oh. Of course it had a doorbell. Sakura had been standing here trying to pep talk herself that she hadn't even noticed.

"Of…of course," she said defiantly. _Way to make a good first impression. Gawk at the door, and then at the man inside. _He certainly was handsome, but Sakura never was one to be captivated by looks. Though…she gazed up at his perfectly unblemished face…it didn't hurt.

"Well, then, come in," Sasuke said impatiently. He left the door open and walked off, presumably toward the living room. Sakura, stunned, hastily made her way in and shut the distracting door behind her.

Sasuke reached the living room, and he motioned for her to sit on one of the couches. She reluctantly obliged, as everything looked so clean and polished that she didn't want to ruin any of it. The only thing that was wrinkled was the couch, and Sakura noticed this with some relief. At least he was human.

Sasuke scanned her up and down, from her little white shoes to her surprisingly normal-sized forehead. She was pretty, in a small-town girl kind of way. Ina, or whatever her name was, must have exaggerated on the forehead description. There was nothing wrong with it from where he stood.

"Hn. You look…decent," he finally said. No warts, anyway. He saw her face slowly color, and knew he had said the wrong thing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked him angrily. "What did you expect, Frankenstein?"

"It would be Frankenstein's creation you're thinking of, though I'm sure the creator wasn't very attractive either," Sasuke corrected, amused. "I was just…surprised, is all. Your friend told me that you had a rather large forehead."

Sakura's face burned in embarrassment, and she mumbled something that contained the words "kill" and "more coffee." Which sounded remarkably like his feelings toward Temari.

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with it," Sasuke commented. Sakura looked up at him, hardly daring to believe that he was saying something polite.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly, shifting a little on the couch. "Nice to know I'm not horribly disfigured."

"Now I didn't say that."

Sakura glared up at him, but her eyes pertly shone with amusement. "You're not exactly a statue of David either."

"Oh, you just might be lying about that," Sasuke said, feigning arrogance. Sakura laughed, leaning forward and placing her hands on her knees, and Sasuke smiled. She wasn't so bad.

"Okay, let's get to the point," Sakura started, all traces of humor fading. "This kissing contest…" She looked just as disgruntled as he was.

"You don't want any part in it," stated Sasuke. He already knew that much.

"I'd rather be thrown into a pit of killer beetles," Sakura agreed. "Ino signed me up against my will."

"My boss wants me to participate for the media attention it'll bring to the company."

"Fair enough," Sakura said, smiling. "I'm glad that I at least have a partner who's as unhappy about this as I am."

"Unhappy might not be the word," Sasuke said. "Maybe 'disastrous' would be more fitting."

"Disastrous, revolting, completely and utterly disgusting…" Sakura shrugged. "Take your pick."

"Wait, you think kissing me will be disgusting?" Sasuke was suddenly on the defensive.

"Hey, I didn't say that, I just meant--"

"That the contest would be revolting. But you'll be in that contest, and I can assure you that I'm the farthest thing from disgusting when it comes to kissing."

Sakura took in his real arrogance this time and frowned. "I'm sure you would know."

"What do you mean by that?" Anger flashed in his eyes at her implication.

"Well, putting this lightly…" There was no light way to put it. "You look like the type who kisses without thinking."

"You think I'm a playboy?" Sasuke's eyes widened at her accusation.

"No, I don't think you're a man-whore," Sakura replied, rolling her eyes. "You just seem to be the kind of guy who…is interested in _lots _of girls."

Sasuke snorted. He had been doing that a lot lately. "For your information, I could not be less interested in women lately."

"So you're gay." Sakura's eyes twinkled.

"I am not gay!" Sasuke's voice had grown to an enraged shout.

"Then prove it. We'll probably have to practice sooner or later anyway. Prove to me that you're straight."

"Straight as a board," Sasuke confirmed. He started toward her and sat down on the couch beside her.

"This is only for the sake of the contest," he warned.

"Of course," Sakura agreed.

"Only because we have to practice."

"And to prove that you're not gay."

Sasuke's frown deepened. "Right," he growled.

"Then go for it."

Sasuke swallowed, and leaned toward her. Sakura closed her eyes, making it easy for him. He tensely set his hand on her shoulder, and leaned closer. Sakura didn't move.

He stopped. "Kissing is usually a two-person job, you know," he said.

Sakura opened her eyes. "I know, I just wanted to see how you fare first."

"On my own?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, on your own. We can get to practicing both sides later."

"Who decided that you get to call the shots?"

"Do you want to prove your straightness or not?" Sakura asked, impatient. It was bad enough that they were even doing this.

"Fine. Close your eyes."

Sakura did, and Sasuke leaned toward him again. His lips were so close to hers. Any second now, and they would touch, he noted. It was just a simple kiss. Not a big deal. So what if he didn't know her? A kiss was a kiss. It wasn't like they were going into battle together.

His lips finally met hers, and he froze.

Damn. Maybe they were marching to a battle together.

After a few seconds, Sakura turned her head to the side.

"Uchiha, I'm sorry to say this…"

"You suck."

Sasuke recoiled in shock. "I do not." Uchihas never sucked.

"You do," Sakura insisted. "You act like you've never kissed a girl in your life. How are we supposed to make it past the first round with _that_?"

"I just don't know you!" Sasuke retorted. "How the hell am I supposed to kiss someone convincingly if I don't even know who you are?"

"Haruno Sakura, currently unemployed, lives with best friend Ino, likes long walks on the beach," Sakura replied, her impatience growing. "Better?"

"No."

"Ugh!" Sakura felt like tearing her hair out in frustration. "We're going to lose!"

"So what? You didn't want to be in this contest in the first place," Sasuke pointed out.

"I need the money," Sakura said quietly. "It pays five thousand dollars if we win. I need it to get back on my feet. I can't keep living at Ino's while certain people toss my resume into the shredder. It's getting increasingly difficult to find a job right now." She frowned at him. "And your company needs the advertising."

"Screw the company," Sasuke said coldly. "We'll survive. If it's money you need, take out a loan."

"Without a job to pay it off with?" Sakura sighed in frustration. "Let's just get through this. If we make it, it'll only be for a month anyway. Suffer through it for me?"

Sasuke stared hard at her, trying to read every emotion in her expression. He counted off three so far: aggravation, desperation, and just a hint of defeat. He supposed he could keep it going for maybe one round.

"According to you, I suck," he said mockingly.

"Well, I'll make up for it," Sakura said, jabbing at herself with her thumb. Sasuke gave her a disbelieving look.

"You'd kiss a stranger without any hesitation at all?"

"I'm an amazing actress." With that, she scooted closer to him until she bumped into his leg, and wound her arms around his neck.

"You'd better be," Sasuke said, unfazed and still a little bitter from her remark earlier.

"Trust me, I don't make mistakes."

She touched her lips to his, and pulled him to her. One of her hands played gently with his hair, ruffling the uneven black spikes. Her mouth moved gracefully against his, making no move to deepen the kiss, just showing him a measure of what she could do. She angled her head a little differently, and sighed onto his lips for added effect.

When she pulled back, be merely looked at her. Impressed? She didn't think so. Then again, he had no skill whatsoever. Who was he to talk?

"You had no passion."

"What?" Sakura asked. "No passion? Excuse me, I happen to be rather good at that."

"Well, you had none." Pulling a letter out of his pocket, he glanced over the contents. "And according to the invitation, 'Passion' happens to be one of the categories."

"I did just fine!" Sakura argued angrily. "There was nothing wrong with it!"

"Oh, sure, that might get you past the first round. But you won't get any farther than that without any feeling."

"I can put feeling into it!" she spat out, her fists clenched. "Pretending emotion isn't rocket science. And in case you hadn't noticed, you're really not one to talk."

"I have no passion because I don't pretend."

"Well, start pretending!" Sakura demanded. "If we're going to pull this off as a fake couple, we're going to have to beat out all of the real ones!"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. "Competitive, aren't you?"

"Hell, yeah, I am! If we're going to get that money…" she quieted down. "We're going to have to give it everything we have."

"We'll be practicing a lot."

"Right."

"You better not have mono."

"The kissing disease?" Sakura made a face. "Gross."

Sasuke chuckled as his eyes skimmed the letter again. "This says that 'anyone found to have any contagious ailment of any sort will be automatically disqualified.'"

"Well, then I guess that rules you out."

"Do you want to practice or not?"

"Fine."

AN: First chapter done! And it's actually two pages longer than my chapters normally are! Please tell me what you think!


	2. The First Round

Kissing Contest

Chapter Two

"Hello, and welcome to Konoha's first annual kissing competition!" A pretty blonde said into a lapel microphone as she beamed at the camera. "I'm Hashida Yukino, and as you can see, couples everywhere have signed up for this contest and are taking their seats now…"

Sasuke and Sakura trudged over to their assigned table, a little rounded wooden one with a dazzlingly red tablecloth set atop it, dripping beads from the edges. It practically screamed 'lovers,' and yet the two could not possibly be feeling less romantic.

"I can't do this," Sasuke said, glaring at the tablecloth and interlacing his fingers.

"Of course you can," Sakura assured him. "We both can."

"It's not a matter of whether I _can_," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "It's a matter of actually doing it in front of this huge crowd of idiots." He gestured to the swarm of giggling onlookers thankfully held back by the barricades, and his gaze snapped back to Sakura. "See? Intimidating, isn't it?"

Sakura sighed. No amount of caffeine could prepare her for this. "We've come this far," she said. "We at least showed up, we might as well follow through. Besides, no one will be looking at us individually. They'll be looking at all the other couples, and won't give us a second thought. Think instead of the prize. Think of the money."

"Screw the money!" Sasuke hissed. "Screw the company! Screw this contest!"

Sakura gripped his hand rather hard, and stared at him straight in the eye. "Now, you listen to me, Uchiha, don't go getting cold feet. You're my only chance to getting that money and getting back to having a life."

"Figures that you have to enter a kissing contest in order to do that," Sasuke muttered. "If you're _sure_ no one is going to really see us."

"I'm positive," Sakura replied confidently, giving his hand another squeeze. Sasuke moved his hands away from her grasp. "Let's just get this over with."

Scanning the rest of the scene, Sasuke almost let out a low growl. Tables identical to theirs littered the area in perfect tessellations, the only difference being that the tablecloths were various shades of red and pink, and that the other couples actually looked ecstatic to be there. Sasuke actually wanted to throw up. The clear blue sky was the precise setting for a happy romantic event, adding to his desire to rid himself of the heavy pancake breakfast currently in his stomach. That would sure give the reporter something to say.

"Wait." Sasuke rounded on Sakura. "You said that the first rounds weren't going to be televised!"

"They weren't!" Sakura responded in slight panic. "They must have come unexpectedly! Either that, or they paid large amounts of money to be here…" She put her head in her hands. "I'm about to start banging my head on the table. What a headache."

Headache was a pretty accurate description, Sasuke had to admit. So much for no one really seeing him. If any of his coworkers saw this on television, he would never live it down. Temari would have a field day…

"So what do we do?"

"What do you expect?" Sakura asked. "We sit here, wait for some volunteer workers to hand us a card with our criteria, and then wait for them to give us the go signal."

"This isn't a horse race," Sasuke said despairingly. "We don't just 'go' like we're supposed to take off running. Actually, taking off running sounds just fine with me." He eyed the grinning reporter with a wilted look, and groaned. "Anything but this."

"You agreed to it. Suck it up."

A card suddenly appeared in front of his face, and he found out that it was held out by a short redhead, who was giving him an odd sort of confident smile. She still stood there after he took the scorecard, and rested her hand loosely on her hip. _Oh, lord, not another Temari. I know that look._

"You fill this out," she said as she bent over to point out the bottom, accidentally-on-purposefully giving him a view straight down the front of her low-cut shirt. "Then, once you're done, hand it back to me and wait about three minutes for the judges to give the signal."

The girl received a surprise as Sakura snatched the card from Sasuke and took a pen out from her purse.

"I'll do it," she said as she scowled at the girl. "It doesn't take a brain child to fill it out, right?"

The redhead looked startled, while Sasuke hid a smirk. He wasn't dense; he knew what Sakura was thinking. "All right, but we don't want to keep this lovely girl here waiting," he teased, causing the red-haired girl to blush and Sakura to glare at him. She barely took her eyes off of him as she scribbled down their information, and thrust the card back at the girl.

"I'll take care of this right away," Redhead Girl said in an annoyingly preppy voice. She then lowered her voice to a slightly husky whisper. "Maybe when this is over, you can come see me, and we can talk," she breathed, dangerously close to Sasuke's ear.

What Sasuke did next took Sakura completely by surprise. He turned to the girl and placed a hand on her arm before pushing a little so the distance between them was lengthened.

"Get lost," he said coldly. Obedient, Redhead Girl scurried off, leaving Sakura to stare incredulously at him.

"What was that?" she asked, amazed. "One minute you were looking so cozy with her, and the next you act as if she has leprosy. I don't think I'll ever understand you."

This time Sasuke allowed a wicked smirk to unfurl on his face. "The flirting was just to tease you, since she obviously bothered you so much," he explained in a mocking tone. "There was nothing genuinely interesting about her."

"There were a few things repulsive about her," Sakura grumbled. Sasuke chuckled.

"Just a little jealous."

"I don't see why you would be. After all, she happens to be a not-so-attractive female--"

"You know very well that I meant you," Sasuke told her. She harrumphed and turned her head away.

"Jealousy is not a word in my vocabulary when paired with your name."

"Ouch, that hurts a little bit."

"It should."

Sakura grew more and more angry with Sasuke the longer he continued to smirk at her. He clearly wasn't buying her words. She opened her mouth to protest against his complete ignorance, but a loudspeaker boomed out across the area and drowned out her voice.

"All right, everyone, get ready!" A male who sounded very much like a game show host announced. "Get our partners ready…"

"As if I'd want to kiss _you _now," Sakura said, but she leaned in anyway. All of Sasuke's previous uneasiness immediately returned as he saw her looking up at him, and he glared.

"Don't screw this up," he warned. Her mouth fell open.

"Me? Screw this up? What about you? You still have yet to show me a decent kiss--"

"GO!" The announcer called. Ino, who had managed to secure a table right next to her best friend, grasped poor Shikamaru by the collar and went to work. Sakura forced herself to look away.

"All right, you ready?" she asked Sasuke.

"Technically, we already should have started," Sasuke noted. Sakura made an aggravated noise deep in her throat and leaned closer.

"I know that," she said. "Now let's start or we'll fail right now--"

Sakura had no time for breath as Sasuke reached a hand behind her head and pulled it to his own, causing their lips to clash together awkwardly. Sakura restrained a sarcastic smile. Apparently Sasuke did not like the word "fail" very much.

After about ten seconds, Sakura realized that she should be kissing back, and moved her lips against his. It was an amateur, passionless kiss, but at least they were doing it. Sakura lifted a shaky hand and settled it on the front of Sasuke's shirt. That should add to the effect, right?

The air was filled with hushed whispers and buzzing conversation as the competition dragged on. Sakura felt the warm sun on her ears as she kept her eyes tightly shut, wishing that if she couldn't see the situation, it must not be happening.

_Ugh, how long is this supposed to last? _Sakura asked herself. She knew Duration was one of the categories, so the judges must be grading on timing. How long was too long? Sakura certainly felt like it had already been hours too long. She didn't know how long she could keep this up. It just felt like skin, not like actual kissing. What maniac came up with this again?

Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she saw several couples separating. _Thank God. _With a gentle hand on his chest, Sakura slowly pulled away. Sasuke opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say, _Are we really done? Is it finally over?_

Sakura gave him a weak smile. _At least the first round is. _

Sasuke gave a grateful sigh, and his posture sagged. He prayed that their faces would not show up on TV; his sanity would be in danger if they did.

"Come on, let's slip out and head to the hotel," Sakura suggested. Sasuke was out of his seat before she even finished her sentence.

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The hotel room was large and spacious, with wrinkle-free bedspreads and an up-to-date TV and microwave. The bathtub was almost big enough to swim in, Sakura noticed happily as she pulled back the shower curtain. The hotel soaps were actually brand names! The room was certainly a perk in the contest, with its warm cream-colored wallpaper and large window overlooking the endless horizon of the ocean. A hotel right next to the beach. Sakura doubted that she would do any swimming, as her childhood fear of sharks had never completely faded, but maybe some morning walking across the wet sand would do her some good.

"Sakura, we're not taking this room," Sasuke called from the main room. Frowning, Sakura leaned past the doorway to look at him.

"Why the hell not? It's perfect!"

"It's a single bed."

Her face fell. She hadn't noticed that little detail. Sighing, she turned off the bathroom light and walked out. "Guess I'll repack."

Sasuke snorted. "I can't believe you already unpacked."

"Hey, just because I got here five minutes earlier than you did after your little episode in the taxi cab--"

"He had no clue where he was going!" Sasuke defended angrily. "You'd think drivers would learn directions before deciding to drive as a career."

"Still, that was no excuse for you to storm out claiming that you could walk faster than he could get you there." Sakura grinned at him. "It seems he took your words to heart, as he did end up getting here before you did."

"Was that even the point?" Sasuke asked, annoyed. "We can't stay here. We at least have to exchange this room for a double."

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"I'm sorry," the desk clerk smiled apologetically at him as she typed at her keyboard. "It seems that the contest only covers the cost of single-bed rooms. If you want a double, you'll have to pay extra for the upgrade."

"We'll do it," Sakura said eagerly, handing over her credit card. In one swift movement, Sasuke roughly knocked it away with his arm.

"I'm paying," he said firmly, taking out a business-like checkbook.

"Why?" Sakura asked, not as mad as she thought she would be.

"You can't afford it, can you?"

Her eyes traveled to the floor. "I can pay for one night…" she said quietly, ashamed of her financial trouble.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke scrawled his signature on the check, and tore it out.

"But I want to pay for something," Sakura said desperately as she lifted her head. Normally Sasuke would have said no, but the look in her eyes told him that she needed to salvage what little pride she had left.

"You're buying dinner," he commanded, and brushed rudely by her as he was handed a room key. Sakura was too relieved to be angered by his action.

"Thanks," she said softly.

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"What do we do now?" Sakura asked impatiently. In his extreme spare time and boredom, Sasuke had read over the entire guidebook to the contest, and had memorized every word.

"We wait here in the room until another volunteer worker slips our results under the door," he said patiently. For someone who was so urgently against this before, he had an amazing amount of tolerance now.

"Under the door? What kind of twisted plot-maker thought of that? Why not just knock?" Sakura paced back and forth as Sasuke lay stretched out on one of the queen-size beds, biting her lip. "I guess it's to enhance the "flavor" of the show or something." She shrugged.

"This isn't a cooking show, Haruno," Sasuke told her from his position on the bed. As if she hadn't already guessed.

"I knew that," she said waspishly. Her mood was at the end of its tether. If she didn't get some coffee in her system _now_…

She stopped in her tracks as a manila envelope slid across the carpet from under the door. She heard a faint laugh from the volunteer worker as the soft sound of footsteps retreated, and she turned her attention back to her partner. Sasuke was already off of the bed, and had snatched the envelope. He tore at it viciously until the paper inside was revealed, scanning its contents hastily as if it were a doctor's report. Judging by the way his brows furrowed and his eyes widened in indignation, he did not like what he saw.

"A 3.0 out of five?" he exclaimed, outraged. "And the category was _technique_?"

"Hey, that means I didn't do too hot, either," Sakura reminded him as she read over his shoulder. "And of course we both sucked in the Passion category. A measly 2.3."

"But technique?" Sasuke sputtered. "Did you _see _the way the guy with the table behind us slobbered on his partner?"

"He nearly drowned her," Sakura instantly agreed as she attempted to block out the horrifying sight they had come across as they were making their escape.

"Technique," grumbled the Uchiha. "As if I wasn't skilled enough."

"Well, it was our first time doing that," Sakura said consolingly. "The good thing is, we still made it to the second round. And we only really practiced for about a half hour. We're just not really comfortable around each other yet. That would explain the lack of skill."

"'Not comfortable?'" Sasuke echoed loudly. "'Lack of skill'? I don't _have _a lack of skill." And before Sakura could protest, Sasuke had grabbed her, giving her just enough time for a startled gasp before he crushed her mouth to his.

"We need to practice more," he said against her lips.

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"Okay, so we're getting better with each other," Sakura said after coming up for air and scooting off of his lap onto the bed. "But we barely passed the first round by the skin of our teeth." Sasuke gave a little "harrumph" and looked away. "The first round's supposed to be the easiest! If we don't get amazing fast, we lose. And that's it."

"We're not going to _lose,_" Sasuke spat out defensively.

"Really, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but if you keep..._sucking _at this as much as you do, it isn't gonna help us any." Sasuke shot her a deadly glare, and Sakura shivered. Sometimes Sasuke was able to intimidate her much more than she would have liked.

"And you think that your lack of passion is going to get us anywhere?" Sasuke raised a skeptical eyebrow, pride grazed.

"Hey, we did much better this time around! My passion's got nothing to do with it anymore, you know that, right?"

"Do you want me to lie and agree with you, or do you want me to tell you that you're like kissing an unresponsive marshmallow?" He folded his arms and smirked arrogantly. Sakura's blood boiled, but she refused to retaliate. _Control your temper, _she instructed herself. Tossing her hair, she arranged her face into what she hoped was a carefree expression.

"Okay, so we both need to brush up on a few things," she said, ignoring his disbelieving snort, "but let's get one thing straight. Insult me one more time and I swear, next time we kiss I will bite you hard." She crossed her arms, imitating his stubborn stance.

Sasuke didn't last three seconds before he started laughing, loudly and openly, his shoulders shaking and his head down. Sakura gaped at him in disbelief, and suppressed the overwhelming urge to smack him upside his head.

"_Bite me_? Given your lack of passion, that might actually raise our score." He continued chuckling while his partner slowly lost her furious expression.

"Biting," she said thoughtfully. "Maybe that was why we scored lower in technique. We didn't make the kiss very original."

Finally straight-faced, Sasuke considered the idea. "So we just need to mix it up a little, instead of focusing on just getting through it."

"Yup. Which means that we both really need to get over our aversion to this." Sakura let her body fall back onto the bed, and she closed her eyes. "No more nervousness every time we get near that horridly-decorated table."

"Right. When's the next round?"

Sakura sighed. "In a week. Apparently since they started filming so early, it'll be a weekly series starting now. It's funny, though; the show won't be very interesting if it's just the actual rounds, will it? I'd have thought something like this would be more of a reality show."

"Got me," Sasuke admitted. "I read through the rules, but none of the details. I'll bet it's in there."

There was a knock on the door, the raps coming quickly and loudly, as if the knocker was very excited to be there. The partners exchanged looks.

"You or me?" Sakura asked. When Sasuke remained silent, she sighed and threw her hands up. "Guess I'll get it," she grumbled. She lazily slid off of the bed and wandered over to the door. The knocks came again, this time more impatient.

"In a minute!" Sakura said sharply. She hadn't even met this person and already their very presence annoyed her. She swung open the door, and her eyes widened.

"Hi, I'm Hashida Yukino, the show's host, remember me?" A pretty, peppy woman asked. She was clad in an entirely pink suit, the buttons of her jacket encrusted with pearl insets. She was the type of person who would spend a thousand dollars on an outfit without blinking.

"I'm here," she plowed on without waiting for an answer, "to inform you that you will be the chosen couple we'll film for the more personal part of the show." She winked. "Don't worry, your part starts next week, so you'll have plenty of time to get adjusted to the idea."

_Get adjusted to what? _Sakura thought dazedly. _Adjusted to the idea of going through pure, privacy-free hell for a week?_

"What is this about?" Sasuke asked gruffly as he came up behind her. Mrs. Yukino's smile grew a little wider as he caught sight of her.

"For the reality part of the show, we're going to be filmed here in our room for a week," Sakura said softly, still in shock. It seemed that getting used to the idea would take a while.

"When?" Sasuke demanded to know, scowling.

"Your part of the show will take place next week," a beaming Mrs. Yukino informed him. "This week we'll be filming a different couple, and next week it'll be your turn!"

Sakura turned to Sasuke. "I didn't hear about this," she said, confused.

"Did you read the rules?"

"No." Sakura now sounded panicked. "And you didn't read them very well…what else have we missed?"

"Anyways, I just dropped by to give you some notice before we started rolling in the cameras next week!" Mrs. Yukino said cheerily as she gave them one last unblinking smile. "See you then!"

Sakura shut the door behind her and steadied her legs. This was going too far. "It was only supposed to be a contest," she said weakly. "This isn't a season of Laguna Beach."

"You watch that?" Sasuke asked her while making a face.

"I do, and I happen to like it," Sakura told him defiantly. They stared at each other, and Sakura was the first to back down. Sighing, she collapsed back onto the bed. Sasuke, however, strode over to the end table drawer and was rummaging through papers.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked him.

"Seeing what exactly we missed," he replied. He scanned the headings, and then the fine print.

"Any surprises?" Sasuke caught the sarcasm in her voice.

"Actually…" he continued reading, and his brows knitted. "Not so far."

Sakura felt her body relax, and she sagged further into the bedspread.

"Well, that's a relief."

"Oh, God."

Sakura didn't like that tone. "What is it now?" Though Sasuke's back was turned to her, she still caught the tension in his shoulders and knew that whatever he had to say couldn't be good.

"Well, during out part of the so-called "reality" show, we're expected to make things interesting," Sasuke said quietly. His voice grew hard. "They'll basically be handing us a script and telling us what to say and do."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad," Sakura said consolingly.

"Don't you understand?" Sasuke was standing now, and he glared down at her. "Do you know the things they could make us do? We're under a contract. We happen to be in a hotel room."

"No way." The blood drained from Sakura's face.

"Leave the rest to your imagination."

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AN: Another chapter done! Thanks so much for the awesome reviews, everyone. You guys are great.


	3. Drunkenness

Sorry for the long wait, I've been on hiatus for a while. I'm not saying I'll start updating frequently again, but I'll certainly try more. Onward!

Kissing Contest

Chapter Three

"L-leave the rest…to your imagination," Sakura parroted bleakly. Sasuke simply nodded and folded his arms. "But…how can they do that?"

Sasuke brandished the contract at her and she flinched as though he had just swung a rattlesnake in her direction. "Either read it again or take my word. Let's just hope it isn't anything too bad."

"Well, we still have…a while before we even have to face it, right?"

"A week."

"I think I need to lie down."

"You _are _lying down."

The hotel room Sakura and Sasuke occupied now looked incredibly small and cramped, as the possibilities of things they would have to _do _in this room grew larger as their imaginations went to work. A script. Sakura couldn't believe that they would actually be handed a script. Like they were simple marionettes. Someone was going to get hell for this.

Sakura sighed and sat up from her sprawled-out position on the bed. "Let's go get dinner. At least we can take our minds off of it for now. No sense worrying about it too far ahead."

From the look on Sasuke's face, he could see several reasons to worry about it.

"Oh, relax," Sakura snapped, her patience waning. "Moping about it won't get us out of it."

"You seem pretty used to the idea," muttered Sasuke as he reached for his coat on the nightstand. Sakura held her chin high as she surveyed his pouty expression.

"I'm just not going to let it get to me. I'm willing to do anything to get that money, and I mean it."

Sasuke's face suddenly darkened, and Sakura wondered if she had said the wrong thing.

"Anything," he said, more of a question than a statement.

Not one to back down, Sakura nodded. "Anything."

He attempted to stare her down for a few moments, but she wouldn't budge. Finally, he strode over to the door and held it open for her while tugging his jacket over his shoulders.

"Do you realize that _I'm_ not willing to do anything to get this prize?!"

"Hi, can I get you anything tonight?" the cheerful waitress asked as she beamed down at them with a notepad in hand.

_Yeah, someone who will get me out of this damned romance show, _Sasuke thought despairingly.

"We'll take two apple martinis," Sakura instructed immediately. The waitress jotted it down, shot them another fleeting smile, and flounced off. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Who said you could order for me?" he demanded to know.

"You need a relaxing drink, and this one's the best as far as I know," she said. "I may not be an expert on alcohol, but these got me through college, let me tell you."

Sasuke snorted. "I know of stronger drinks."

"I'm sure you would."

Deciding not to take the bait and ask what exactly she meant by that, Sasuke sat back in his seat and waited for the waitress to return. When the apple martini came, he drank it down without a word. Sakura smirked smugly when he downed it in one go.

"Can we get a few more drinks?" she asked politely, and the woman before them winked.

"No problem. What would you like?"

Sasuke cleared his throat of the syrupy taste and spoke up. "Something strong."

"Gotcha." She disappeared again before Sakura could order hers. The pink-haired woman cursed under her breath.

"Now you know how it feels," Sasuke said victoriously.

"Bite me," was the muttered response. Sasuke quickly lost his smile.

"Come next week, I think I'm going to have to."

"Ugh, just shut up about that!" Sakura spat as she threw her hands up. "Can't you just get it off your mind for ten seconds?"

"Can't you just hurry up and realize that I might be forced to have sex with a complete stranger?"

Sakura's mouth gaped open. "They wouldn't go that far."

"Is there anything in the contract that says they won't? _That's _why you're not worried? Because you think that they'll just stop at making out?"

"That…that wasn't exactly what I had been thinking…" Sakura stammered.

That was exactly what she had been thinking.

"God, you're dense," Sasuke sighed frustratedly. Thankfully, the waitress materialized out of thin air at that moment, two intimidating-looking drinks in hand. She set them down, and without a word was off again. Sasuke slipped his hand through the mug's handle and began guzzling.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sakura asked him worriedly as he continued without stopping for breath. They were in a relatively classy restaurant, with dim overhead lights and soft piano music in the background. He was going to get drunk _here?_

"I can hold my alcohol," Sasuke said roughly, clearly defensive.

"Fine," Sakura said under her breath, deciding it was best not to argue.

"Are you both ready to order?" the plump brunette waitress asked.

"Yes, thank you," Sakura replied as she folded up her menu. "I'll take the chicken fettuccini."

"And you?" The waitress turned to Sasuke, and she blinked a few times at his slightly reddened face.

"I'm taking the mignon filet," he said, frowning at her for reasons even he didn't know.

"You mean the filet mignon?" Sakura interrupted.

"Yeah, that."

The waitress smiled, gathered up the menus, and left, shooting worried looks over her shoulder at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, stop."

"I'm fine. Just shut up about it." He gave her a stern, "don't question me" look and Sakura sighed. _It's his funeral. _

_But no, _Sakura's rational side spoke up as Sasuke's face disappeared behind his mug again. _If he's having a funeral, he'll be dragging you down with him by causing a scene._

"Sasuke, we need to leave."

He traced the flower pattern on the placemat before him with his index finger as he looked up at her. "Why?"

"We can't have you causing a disturbance here while eating your _mignon filet_," Sakura hissed. She received a sharp glare in return.

"I _said _I can handle my alcohol. Will you stop being so damned motherly? It's like all you do is…" he trailed off, and suddenly turned redder.

"Errrr, Sasuke?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate," Sasuke spat, and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply for a few moments, and Sakura felt slightly panicked.

"Concentrate on what?"

"On not throwing up."

Suddenly he was on his feet and zipping up his jacket. "We're leaving." Sakura, too relieved to comment back that she had suggested that first, stood without a word. Shooting an apologetic smile at the waitress, she thrust a few bills down on the table and left, a slightly green Sasuke trailing behind.

As Sakura slid the key card through the reader slot to open the door, she felt something warm approach her neck, accompanied by a strong bourbon smell. Immediately she tensed. She needed to get him to sleep.

"We're almost in," she said to Sasuke. "Give me a sec."

The door swung open, and she was free from Sasuke's intrusion upon her personal space. Or so she thought.

"Sakuraaa," Sasuke spoke, his voice low and tired, but not from a need for sleep. "I have an idea."

"What idea could you possibly come up with now?" Sakura threw her cream coat onto the armchair beside the television and collapsed onto her own bed. "Being drunk doesn't make you think your brightest."

Sasuke's jacket was unzipped and cast onto the floor carelessly, and he shuffled over to her as if attempting to keep his balance. He stopped at the foot of her bed, and gazed down at her with the oddest expression she had ever seen him wear. It was just so…un-Sasuke-like.

"You really are sort of attractive," he stated bluntly. Sakura flinched at his shameless remark, and turned her head to the side to conceal part of the heat rushing to her cheeks.

"Oh, thanks," she replied sarcastically. "Nice to know I'm only 'sort of attractive.' I'll remember that next time you go looking for compliments."

"No, I mean it." Sakura felt a weight at the edge of the mattress, and lifted her head to see Sasuke placing his knees onto her bedspread. Slowly and awkwardly, he made his way up to her. Or rather, up and over her. Paralyzed, Sakura was immobile with shock as Sasuke's body towered above hers.

"Wh-what are you doing…?" Sakura whispered uncertainly.

"Here's my idea," he said, only slightly slurring the 's' in his sentence. "We get over all of that tension that's going to happen next week by getting it all over with now."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

"_That's _your grand master plan?" she asked incredulously. Sasuke only smirked down at her, confident through the drunken haze of his thoughts that his plan was genius.

"This way, it won't be awkward between us, because we'd already have done everything," he continued, lowering himself closer to her. Sakura shot her hand up, and it connected with his chest, effectively stopping him.

"You're an idiot," Sakura said harshly. When Sasuke only moved closer to breathe on her neck, she glared to keep her rational thoughts buzzing. "You think this is going to help us get out of that reality show crap?"

"Not get out of," the man above her corrected. "You already said yourself that there is nothing we can do about that. But this can help us live through it."

For someone so completely drunk, why was he making so much sense?

"Your logic is so screwed!" Sakura struggled to move out from under him, but he had already settled his weight on her. "This isn't going to help anything!"

He shot her a quirky smile, and she was mystified.

"Maybe if you were drunk too, you'd see my reasoning."

_What the hell kind of drunk are you? _Sakura mentally screamed at him. She pounded on his chest with her fists, but he was too close for her to hit him with any real force. His lips brushed her neck, and a tremor raced through her body.

"Get…off…" Sakura demanded as she grasped his arms in another attempt. This was apparently a mistake, as Sasuke glanced at her hands, his attention caught. Within seconds, Sakura's wrists were pinned together above her head, utterly useless.

"Do you see it now?" he whispered to her, his face so close that she could not really look him straight in the eyes. "We're too uncomfortable with each other. Just do this, and I promise everything will go so much easier."

"You're insane…" Sakura mumbled, her voice quieted by his mouth grazing her cheek. "Get off of me now." _I hardly even know you, _she thought._ Attraction doesn't take the place of common sense. But apparently alcohol does._

"I just want to make you see my point." His hand traveled over her stomach, and finally Sakura had had enough.

"I _said _get the hell off of me!!!" she shouted, and pulled back her fist before slamming it into his cheek.

Sasuke recoiled from the pain and released her wrists to run his hand over his cheek. He looked at her in stunned amazement, but she had already begun to wriggle out from underneath him, giving him such a heated glare it should have vaporized him on the spot. She stumbled from the bed, and scrambled to her feet on the carpet.

"You don't even realize what you just did," she spat dangerously, humiliated tears welling up in her eyes. "Do you?"

Sasuke sat upright on her now wrinkled bedspread, a frown slowly crawling its way onto his face. Didn't she see his plan? Why couldn't it make sense to her? Was she stupid?

"Why are you so against this?" he asked, anger steadying his voice. "It was a simple thing!"

"Sex isn't a simple thing to me!" Sakura screamed. "And I still don't know how you can just sit there and think that I'm wrong for not wanting it!" Backing away from him, she found the door to the bathroom and flew inside, slamming it behind her.

Sasuke was up in an instant. "Sakura, come out of there!" he said, pounding a fist on the door. Sakura turned the lock and leaned her back against the door, intensely aware of every strike his fist made with the wood. The tears on her face finally fell, and with them went her self-control. Sasuke couldn't even hear her sobs through the loud thumps his hand made. Was he trying to intimidate her into coming out? Surely he would know that that couldn't possibly work…

For five minutes he continued, striking the door over and over again while ordering her to come out. And longer she cried, as she wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into. This is what she deserved, entering herself into a stupid kissing contest with only the money in mind. She should have known things would get out of hand. She had assumed that her partner would be perfectly agreeable in every way, and now here life came back to slap her in the face.

The pounding ceased, and it was only then that Sasuke heard another sob escape Sakura's lips. Time stood still. Ever so slowly, he lowered his hand to his side. His head throbbed. All he could do was listen to the sound of her muffled cries.

Sakura's hysterics eventually subsided, and she slid to the floor, her hearing sharpened with each passing silent minute. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she waited. She would never come out. Not tonight. Even less likely was the possibility of her getting sleep.

-

Four hours later, she heard a shuffle of movement.

"I'm sorry."

-

When Sakura burst out of the bathroom, the hotel room door was ajar.

And Sasuke was gone.

AN: Wow. What kind of mood was I in? Anyways, hope you liked it. I think I may have to up the rating soon… review please!!!


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